Pam Y. Fields

For the past couple of weeks I’ve had some words running through my head. They are from a song by Heart of the City Worship Band, a local group in Minnesota that is very diverse – White, Native American, Black, Hispanic, Asian and others. The only words I can remember, which began running through my head over and over are: “We will not offer you that which cost us nothing… so we bring a gift of sacrifice… we bring a gift of sacrifice… to you O Ancient of Days.”

It reminds me that God wants the best from us and he deserves nothing less. If we think about it, we sacrifice for things all the time. We sacrifice for money and more money, power, authority, position, prestige, etc… However, when we put money in the offering plates, when we go about our ‘Christian service,’ when we share with others, often there is no sacrifice involved. We give our left overs.

Keep these song lyrics in your head and begin to change what you are offering up. Don’t offer up your left overs. Offer up that which has cost you something. It doesn’t always have to be big sacrifices, but there should be some cost involved. Just think about the costs you make when you seek after money, cars, houses, a partner, clothes, power, prestige, etc. This will get you headed in the right direction.

We Will Not Offer You by Heart of the City Worship Band

We will not offer you that which cost us nothing

We will not give to you the least of what we have

For you forgave us and healed us with your suffering

And you are worthy of the best that we can give

So we bring a gift of sacrifice – The way in which we live

We bring a gift of sacrifice – The offering that we give

We bring a gift of sacrifice – Even in the darkest days

We bring a gift of sacrifice – The sacrifice of praise